Mickey Gall defeated fellow up-and-comer Sage Northcutt at UFC On FOX 22 this past weekend and then called out Dan Hardy, but it seems that’s a fight ‘The Outlaw’ just isn’t interested in.
“I think I’m going to drop down to 155,” the 24 year-old Gall revealed in the Octagon after tapping out Northcutt by rear-naked choke. “I’m a little young in the tooth for 170. I think I go down there, I’m the champion in a couple years.
“I’d like to welcome back Dan Hardy. He says he wants to come back for a marquee fight — I think I’m a marquee fight right now. I’d be honored to fight him, he’s a legend, I’m a big fan. I’d love to fight Dan Hardy.
“Was he old enough to watch the @UFC when I was still fighting?” the 34 year-old Hardy joked on Twitter afterwards.
It turned out he was. In fact, Gall told reporters at the post-fight press conference that the first UFC event he ever attended was Hardy’s title challenge against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 111 in New Jersey back in 2010.
On this week’s edition of ‘The MMA Hour’ show, host Ariel Helwani managed to get both Hardy and Gall on at the same time to speak about the potential match-up.
“I almost spat my tea out of my mouth when I was watching it,” Hardy said of the unexpected call-out. “It was like four o’clock in the morning when I was watching, and I just wasn’t expecting it. I appreciate the callout. I appreciate the respect that you’ve shown me. But I’ve never fought anybody with less than eight fights, not even in my first pro fight. It’s just, we’re in different phases of our careers.
“I’m not looking at knocking off a future contender that I’m possibly going to commentating for in the future. And at the same time, if I was going to fight, I want to fight a veteran. I want to fight someone who’s had 20, 30 fights, who’s matured in their game and is sure of their fighting style, rather than someone who’s still developing. I like to see the development of these young fighters and I don’t want to interfere with that in any way. I’m 10 years older.”
Gall took Hardy’s polite refusal in his stride, and judging by his response it seems Gall is a genuine fan of the UFC veteran.
“He has a right to feel that way,” Gall responded. “I respect that too. That’s cool. You’re a legend. It would’ve been an honor to fight you. That’s cool, man. I love you, Dan.”
Hardy hasn’t fought in the Octagon since 2012 due to doctor’s discovering that he had a heart abnormality known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
Despite officials reservations about him continuing to fight, ‘The Outlaw’ has always harbored an ambition to return to the sport and in January he will undergo two days of testing under the watch of medical experts in the UK to establish whether there’s any chance that he can do so.
If it doesn’t work out then Hardy has other options as in his absence from fighting he’s established himself as one of the UFC’s leading analysts and also provides color commentary for some of their overseas shows.
On ‘The MMA Hour’ show, Hardy revealed that he’d just signed a new three-year broadcasting deal with the UFC that’s expected to lead to more work on the UFC’s U.S events too, while he’s also preparing to release his autobiography, ‘Part Reptile’ in March.
